


Nine Minutes

by alliewrites



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Death, Explosions, Hurt No Comfort, Other, Post-Manberg Festival on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28819176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alliewrites/pseuds/alliewrites
Summary: "Ladies and Gentlemen. I apologize for how late I have kept you here, but I can assure you that Dream's trial will begin shortly."After L'maburg was destroyed by Dream using TNT, a warrant was set out and a trial date was announced. However, as the minutes count down, the mask-wearing man is nowhere to be seen. In the last nine minutes of the SMP, everyone starts to piece together that this absence is on purpose, and they are all trapped.(Heavily based around the Great Sept of Baelor explosion in Game of Thrones season six)!!! Read Tags !!!
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Floris | Fundy & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Alexis | Quackity & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Nine Minutes

**Author's Note:**

> Suggested Song: Achilles Come Down - Gang of Youths
> 
> HI! I don't normally write in this genre and this is my first SMP based oneshot. There are probably quite a few mistakes - I am still learning the ropes. I took a lot of inspiration from my favourite scene in game of thrones and thought it would be interesting to see what the Dream SMP characters would do in the same situation.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

**NINE**

"Ladies and Gentlemen" Tubbo stood in the middle of the church, holding his hands in front of him and trying not to sound nervous as he addressed the crowd. He still wasn't used to the speeches or the trials that came as part of his presidential duties. He said his next part louder, with as much authority as he could manage, "I apologize for how late I have kept you here, but I can assure you that Dream's trial will begin shortly."

The sound of a record played solemnly through the air, and to Tubbo it offered a certain bit of comfort. He took a second to glance at the large stained glass panes, shining in the sunlight that was just peaking through the clouds, then took a deep breath and looked back at his people.

He didn't know much about being president, he was forced into it way too young. But he was chosen for a reason, even if there were several people who were older, smarter, and more fit to run. He was elected to bring peace to the world and make sure all his citizens were safe - he was the only person in the land that possessed the ability to do that.

He hoped today that he would accomplish both of those things.

It was the final trial, Dream's trial. For so many years he had lived without boundaries, choosing when to cause problems and picking fights that caused wars just for the fun of it. Blowing up an entire city was the last straw - people could no longer live safely with the tyrant running loose.

This trial was long overdue.

If Dream was found guilty - and he would be found guilty - he would be sentenced to the end dimension. There was no dragon to beat, and therefore there was no escape other than death itself. It was worse than the prison Sam had built, because this was the only place that had absolutely zero chance of escape.  
It was worse than exile, so much worse, and that's exactly what he deserved.

Tubbo glanced at Fundy, who gave him a nod of assurance. Dream would show up. Tubbo knew he would - he wasn't stupid enough not to.

There was nothing they could do but wait.

**EIGHT**

On the steps, holding a diamond sword and trying to stay calm was Tommy, who was avoiding looking at any of the cabinet members in the middle. Instead, his eyes were trained on the large spruce beams, towering up into the sky of the courthouse. The roof was still being worked on, parts of scaffolding were hidden behind stone bricks - that's what you get for putting Quackity and Karl in charge of building something with so little time. It was made out of all the materials they had left after their homes became a giant hole in the ground.

Distracting himself, he watched as a bat started to fly around, trying to find an opening to escape, and to himself, he tried to bet how long it would take the little creature to find the small hole on the right side that lead to freedom.

As he watched, in his head he tried to convince himself that this trial was a good thing. It was finally happening; after wars, years of chaos, Dream was finally getting what he deserved. It was revenge, karma for all those days of torture in exile. He'd be forced to feel how Tommy felt.

But it wasn't satisfying, because everything about the green-wearing man just brought back memories from those weeks, from what Tommy endured, from watching every single item he owned get blown up the second after he got it. He was forced to remember that he once thought of Dream as a friend and he was disgusted of himself for doing so. That was all a lie, an attempt at completely brainwashing him, and the fact that he willingly believed it made him sick to his stomach.

Now, he had to speak about it, in front of every one of his friends he had to come clean because that was the only way Dream was going to go away for good. He had tried to go into detail before, but they all didn't believe him.

Maybe now they'd listen.

There was an uneasy feeling in the back of Tommy's mind, but it had no relation to the public speaking. It was because Tubbo and Quackity were so confident that Dream would show up, but here they all were: four minutes had passed and still no Dream. In exile, Dream was never late, not unless he had a reason.

Tommy prayed to be anywhere else.

**SEVEN**

"Your trial is supposed to start now, we're late," George said. He turned to his friend, who was suited up in full armour with his mask covering his face as it always did.

George leant against the cold stone walls, putting his helmet down on the ledge. The two of them glanced over the land, specifically at the large building made of spruce and stone that housed almost everyone they knew. It was spectacular, which was surprising for how little time it took to build, and it was massive even from as far away as George and Dream stood.

Dream had invited George to meet him at the lookout he had created just a few feet away from the wooden prime path, claiming that he wanted support, someone to walk with him into the trial. George agreed without hesitation.

He was saddened when he realized that Sapnap hadn't. Unlike him, Sapnap had completely given up on Dream.

"I know," Dream said, refusing to show any emotion in his voice. Despite that, George could tell he was nervous, and he didn't know how to feel about it.

He was conflicted because when he looked at his friend he saw the man who built a community house for everyone to stay the first nights they arrived in this land, and the man who trusted him to be king - even if it was just for a short while. He saw the man who fished for nametags for hours just so George and Sapnap could name their pet fish.

George didn't see the monster Dream had become.

But here he was, going into a trial for himself willingly. George hoped that counted for something. Maybe, just maybe, it was a sign that his old friend was still with him after all.

**SIX**

Quackity walked forward, towards the center of the room. His surroundings were so quiet that his footsteps echoed on the floor. Everyone was waiting patiently for Dream to step through those doors. He took off his helmet, hoping that he would feel better without the weight off his head. But he felt no relief.

"Are we sure he's going to show?" he said, putting a hand on Tubbo's shoulder and whispering as quietly as he could so he didn't alarm the crowd.

"He has to" Tubbo whispered back, his voice filled with certainty, "He is well aware of the consequences if he doesn't"

Tubbo was so blindly trustful of the legal system they had in place; He lived by Wilbur's book, even if it had been blown to bits with the last remains of L'manburg, it had become much more than a few pieces of paper and leather. Tommy and Tubbo treated it like gospel. Quackity wasn't so sure, because not everyone was so faithful in Wilbur's words, especially after what he did.

And especially not the person who those words were written to defend against.

Nevertheless, Quackity looked back at the doors, waiting.

He wanted justice, they all did, but he was never going to put any blind trust into anyone, and as the minutes ticked down he was having a harder and harder time believing that Dream was going to abide by Wilbur's laws of trial.

He glanced around at the people, and he locked eyes on one in particular.

A few feet away from the doors, Sapnap stood dressed in rusted and beaten down armour and holding a sword that had chunks of metal missing. His eyes were cold as if the emotion had completely drained out of him and he was left as a shell of who he used to be. That was the consequence of betrayal, the consequence of putting all his energy into a friendship and being dropped the second he wasn't of use anymore.

He stood alone.

**FIVE**

Tommy looked at the clock on the wall, watching as the minutes counted down.

"I don't think he's planning on attending, Mr. President," Niki said, standing up, making Tommy glance over at her. Niki had no trust in anyone, not anymore, and it was no surprise that she was the first to speak up against the cabinet.

Several people in the chapel started to create a commotion, agreeing or disagreeing with her. Tommy could recognize Jack's voice, claiming that it was a huge waste of his time. Fundy tried to reason, to tell everyone to be patient - though no one listened to him.

Puffy and Eret started to shout out bets: Eret bet ten gold that Dream would show up in two minutes, Puffy bet one netherite ingot that Dream would be fifteen minutes late. Ant started to shout that maybe this was a rouse, that Dream wasn't going to show up, and that their bets were pointless. Bad shouted that Dream wasn't going to show up at all, and he bet all of his best armour, he was so confident in himself.

As the shouting continued, Tommy found comfort in finding the bat again. It was getting closer to its escape, but it still couldn't quite get to it. It slowly got closer, but then its path was blocked by a beam, and it assumed it couldn't go in that direction any longer. So it turned around, and headed back away from the opening, to the complete opposite side of the roof.

It was almost as if the beam had been put there deliberately, it was a decoy with the perfect placement that tricked the bat. It seemed like such an easy thing to avoid: if the bat flew a few inches higher or lower it wouldn't even detect it. Though the bat couldn't physically see that, and it had been flying around for a long time running into walls, so why would it think differently?

Bats were such stupid creatures.

Tommy looked back to the center of the room, where Tubbo stood fiddling with his sleeves nervously and trying to find an answer to calm his people down. They made brief eye contact for a minute, Tubbo always looked to him when he was unsure, even now, after everything that happened.

Tommy nodded to him, and in their own little language, that was their way of telling the other person: "You've got this."

Tubbo looked back at the crowd, specifically at Niki who had started the conversation, and with confidence, he said, "He will be tried no matter what, rather he chooses to attend the trial is his choice, but he will certainly be found guilty."

Tommy furrowed his eyebrows, because something about what Tubbo said didn't quite sit right with him.

If guilty was the default consequence, then why was Dream absent?

**FOUR**

The sun had just started to go behind the church, and George felt guilty for each minute that they waited - they were wasting everyone's time. Yet, he was thankful for a few extra minutes with his friend.

His eyes followed a pair of birds, flying around in the open sky without a care in the world, circling and looping around, free. He followed them until they flew all the way to where L'manburg once stood, landing on one of the piles of gravel beside the crater.

George remembers the night before the land was blown to hell. He remembers sharing a drink with Dream as they watched the sunset, away from civilization and at the trees as they reminisced about the community house that laid in ruins. Then he remembers falling asleep quickly that night and then waking up almost twenty-four hours later to see that L'manburg suffered the same fate. He had missed that entire battle.

George took a deep breath before he moved to walk down the cobble stairs and towards the building. They could no longer prolong the inevitable, it was time.

But before he could Dream held his axe out in front of him, stopping him from moving an inch.

"What are you doing?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dream turned to him, and his face was still behind the white mask, sealing away any trace of feeling, "We are not going anywhere near that building"

**THREE**

Quackity was stood staring at Sapnap, as if his presence was weird and as if he was out of place. He didn't expect him to be here. He understood how hard it had been for him, and even if the two of them had such different views Quackity still listened to him talk about it a few nights prior.

He was here so that Dream would have a familiar face to turn to in the room, offering his last bit of support for a friend, even if he knew that friend was too far gone.

Suddenly a thought came to his mind, and Quackity looked around the church.

If Sapnap was here...

"Where is George?" he asked, this time his voice wasn't a whisper. He didn't care that everyone could hear him. People started to look around, and they all soon realized that George was nowhere to be found.

"It's his best friend's trial" Fundy spoke up, "Do you really think he'd be here?"

Quackity looked back at Sapnap. There was a sick feeling, a pit in the bottom of his stomach. In the back of his mind, he knew that George would be here. He had been untrustworthy in the past, but he was consistent when it came to his friends. He would be here for Dream, whether he had come to his senses and realized Dream was the bad guy or if he was on his side was unclear. But, Quackity knew beyond any doubt, was that this wasn't an event he would sleep through.

Which meant his absence was on purpose.

More importantly, Dream wasn't late because he overslept, or had trouble finding his boots. He was late because he didn't plan on making an appearance at all.

Quackity turned to Tubbo, raising his chin high and trying to keep himself calm, "Something is wrong."

"Nothing is wrong," Tubbo shot back, loud enough so that people could hear, "Dream knows what will happen if he's not here: his trial will commence and if he isn't able to defend himself then he will be found guilty"

"And yet he's absent anyways," Tommy said loudly, his voice echoing on the walls. He stood up from his seat and walked down the rows to the floor, stepping into the center. He glanced at Quackity and gave him a nod, signalling that they were on the same page.

Quackity continued, "He's not here. George is not here. Dream isn't stupid. Every single thing he has done since the first war against Wilbur was calculated: his retrieval of the discs, giving Wilbur the TNT, exiling Tommy, turning everyone against each other, that wasn't in-the-moment ideas he had, it was all calculated."

"If he doesn't show up he'll be banned to the end dimension forever" Tommy interjected, "He knows that and yet here we are stood in a courthouse and he's not here. Doesn't that sound a bit strange to you?"

"It's because he doesn't plan on foreseeing those consequences," Quackity said, piecing all of the pieces of the puzzle together.

**TWO**

"I'm going to blow it up," Dream admitted, so casually that it made George feel as if he was going to vomit. He reached for his mask and pulled it off for the first time that George had seen in years.

He used to, all the time, back when they were fishing in the lake for nametags and planting gardens around the house. The last time he saw him without that mask was before the first disc war started.

He had been scared, all this time he had been terrified. That wasn't a secret. It was the reason he tortured everyone, secluded them to inside the L'manburg walls. He was terrified of them and he needed them under his control. He hid behind the mask because it was his cover, his way of distancing himself from emotion. If they saw he was scared, they would see he was weak. With the mask on he was a powerful entity, unkillable, inhuman. With the mask off he was nothing more than a man.

"Everyone is in there," George said, the sudden realization felt like poison on his tongue. The friends that he had made throughout the server, Quackity and Karl, even the people who had been here from the start, Punz and Sam, were all in there. Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo were there, and they were still only children.

He glanced back at his friend, but all he saw was a hollow shell. His eyes weren't full of life like they were before, now they were grey, and the only reason he was smiling was that he was about to get rid of every single thing that posed a threat to him.

"It's not too late" George bargained, holding out his hand and grabbing his friend's arm. He was desperate.

Dream shook his head, and then he started to laugh. It wasn't the same tea kettle laugh as when George was tricked into saying 'isle of dream' or when Sapnap kept messing up a stupid nether portal while trying to escape piglins. It was maniacal; as if every bit of human had left him. He had a wide smile on his face as he said, "It is too late."

George stepped up, "It isn't! Not yet," he said, fabricating a smile and trying to bargain with every bit of hope he had left, "Just call off your plan! We can figure out how to go about this peacefully, we don't need another war. We don't need any more violence."

Dream stepped back, holding out his axe to distance himself from George. George held his hands up in surrender, and he let a tear fall from his eye as he tried to stay calm, to not break down. For the first time, George couldn't see any reasoning behind this. Even now, he was trying to find ways to pardon him, to find the good in his actions - but there was no good in this. This was pure evil.

"Violence is the only way this land is ever truly going to get peace! Don't you see that?" Dream shouted. He used his free hand to point to the building, "Every single person in there is just another conflict, and as long as they all exist there will always be war. I tried to reason, I tried to bring peace. But there is only one way to end all of this chaos..."

He pressed the axe closer, making George step back again. He put his mask back down, the white smiley face taunting as he said, "... So, I'll destroy it all."

**ONE**

"We all need to leave now!" Tommy shouted desperately, gesturing at the doors with his sword, "Everyone, please!"

In the back of his mind, he could see it: the daunting smiley face. He hated how naive he was, thinking that Dream would show up to a trial at his own will. He put the puzzle together too slow, and he was faced with the realization that this building was undoubtedly trapped.

Yet no one was budging. Not Niki, not Punz, not Fundy, not a single person in the room was listening to him. They all still thought he blew up the community house, they still thought that his exile was rightfully deserved. He had done nothing to gain that trust back, nothing to prove his good intentions. Now, they didn't believe him, as he was just a mad man.

He looked towards the exit, and then back at the people around. For a second a thought crossed his mind: He could get out, save himself. He could leave them all behind, and if something bad happened to them, it wouldn't be anyone's fault but their own.

But Tommy didn't know if he could live if he didn't try his hardest to make sure his friends did too.

He looked back at Tubbo, and in the last bit of effort he spoke, "We have to leave now. Please! I have never been more sure about anything in my life! If you want to save your people, you'll listen. The trial can wait."

Tubbo hesitated.

For a few seconds, he stayed silent, playing with the cuffs of his sleeve and thinking of the right course of action. He was the only one in the courthouse that Tommy didn't blame for not listening.

Tubbo's eyes went wide as he had finally figured out what the two others had been trying to tell him. Then he looked up, and took a deep breath, "Everyone, we need to evacuate! The trial will proceed after. B-but we need to make sure that everyone is safe. T-There is no need to panic, but we must take precaution."

Even though he had tried to stay calm, his voice shook as he addressed the crowd, and as a result, everyone started to panic. People started to head towards the door, as quick as they could, trying to save themselves and disregarding others. Tubbo stayed behind, much like a captain to a sinking ship, he would be the last to leave the church. Tommy stayed right by his side.

But the crowd had come to a halt mere seconds later, and there was a shout: "The doors are locked!"

Suddenly there was a loud bang, that was sickeningly familiar. Tommy had grown so used to the sound of TNT, and every time he closed his eyes he heard it. The ground started to rumble, and the loose stones from the roof fell to the ground.

They were trapped, unprepared.

In the last effort, he turned to Tubbo, who was looking around shocked, like a deer in headlights. He wanted to assure his friend that this wasn't his fault, that he shouldn't blame himself for what was about to happen. This was something that they couldn't predict, something that they couldn't prepare for.

"Tubbo, this-"

Then the citizens faced the same fate of their country, and nothing was left of them but ash and dust.

**ZERO**


End file.
